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Pound Around Town
In late 2008 a group of volunteers representing Stamford Animal Care and Control and its non-profit organization, Outreach to Pets in
Need, Inc. (OPIN), began an outreach program of visiting retail locations and pet-oriented venues with a display highlighting the adoptable animals in the care of SACC. Approximately twice a month, on weekends, team members staff a display offering the public posters and printed materials that feature the homeless pets currently available for adoption, and that explain the goals and operations of the Shelter and OPIN. Tax-deductible donations to OPIN - a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization - of cash and pet items are solicited in support of the animals. Items such as OPIN tee shirts, magnets, and handmade cat toys are offered for sale as well.
While raising funds in support of homeless pets is undeniably important, it is not the only goal, nor even the most important goal, of a Pound Around Town event. Rather, volunteers are committed to raising awareness of our community’s municipal Shelter, the animals in its care, and the existence and the work of OPIN; and promoting compassion for all animals in general and the value of adopting homeless pets in particular. Stamford Animal Care and Control is understandably proud of its NO KILL philosophy, and is able to maintain that status only through community support in the form of adoptions and donations. Our volunteers are dedicated to eliciting the public’s help in that endeavor.
Above all else, the volunteers of SACC/OPIN’s Pound Around Town initiative strive to promote awareness of our city Shelter as the first choice for citizens looking to welcome new pets into their homes. At the same time, through OPIN, they are dedicated to raising much-needed revenue to support various programs, medical services and supplies: e.g., health care for animals who might otherwise be deemed “unadoptable” or not worth saving; evaluation and training by a professional dog trainer to improve adoptability; and underwriting services such as SNIP (low-cost spay/neuter for pit bulls and pit-bull mixes), and reduced-cost microchipping for all animals in an effort to reduce or eliminate lost pets being turned in to shelters anywhere.
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